Brick kiln



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet l.

G. D. PAGE. BRICK KILN.

No. 406,463. Patented July 9, 1889..

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.,

O. D. PAGE.

' BRICK KILN.

N0. 406,463. Patented July.9, 1889;

Witnesses. I I-nven'tor u. PETERS, Phuln-Lilhogriphur. wmingmn. n, c

4 Shets-Sheet 3.

- (No Model.)

G. D. PAGE.

BRICK KILN.

Pafiented July 9 1889'.

Ii &.

122s Ji-torneya u PETERS. Pmwmm w, Waihinglcn, p. a

4 Sheets-Sheet 4.,

(No Model.)

0. D PAGE.

BRICK KILN.

Patented Jul 9, 1889.

N PETERS, PholoJJlhagrzpher, WiAhYqginn. D. C-

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

CLARK D. PAGE, OF ROCHESTER, NEWV YORK, ASSIGNOR TO PAGES PATENT BRICK KILN COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

BRICK-KILN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 406,463, dated July 9,1889.

Application filed May 15, 1888- Sen'a1No.273,927- (No model.)

To all whom it 11mg concern.- they are first placed in the cupola or burn- Be it known that I, CLARK D. PAGE, of ing-chamber, so that the products of combus- Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State tion and heated gases pass up through the of New York, have invented certain new and mass of brick between said furnace and the j useful Improvements in Brick-Kilns; andIdo entrance, thoroughly drying and burning hereby declare the following to be a full, them, while that portion of the column below clear, and exact description of the same, refthe furnace is gradually cooling off, and erence being had to the accompanying drawwhen removed in the sections, as usual, they ings, forming part of this specification, and will be cool enough to be readily handled.

10 to the figures and letters of reference marked The kiln proper consists of a lower or base thereon. portion A, extending from the ground to the My present invent-ion relates to improvelevel of the furnaces B, the cupola or portion ments in brick-kilns, particularly that class C, in which the bricks are burned, and the known as perpetual kilns, in which the chimney D, through which the gases and pro I 5 green brick are introduced at one end and re-. ducts find exit. The walls of. the base pormoved from the other thoroughly burned, tion are so disposed as to leave a space beand it consists in a certain improved con tween them and the lower extension Fof the struction of devices and combinations of kiln, the interior of which is substantially parts, hereinafter described, whereby the the same size as the interior of the kiln 2o bricks are enabled to be burned in a more throughout. This portion is connectedto the 7c thorough and economical manner than here-" lower portion of the cupola and extends down. tofore, and to be readily and accurately apto withinacomparatively short distance of the plied and removed Without danger of chilling ground, and is constructed preferably of firethe kiln,and thus destroying the whole charge,- brick or similar refractory substance. A

25 all as will be hereinafter more fullydescribed lower plate F, of substantially the shape of and claimed. l the kiln-shaft, is located at the bottom, con- In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is nected by long rods F F wit-lr girders L Lat avertical sectional view of a kiln constructed the lower end of the cupola-section, as shown, in accordance with my invent-ion. Fig. 2 is a and this forms the support for the lower ex- 0 horizontal sectional view taken on the line a; tension. Suitable right-angle plates F F x of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar View through areinterspersed in this extension at regular the line y y of Fig. 1. Fig. 4is avertical secintervals, as shown, to form binders, and tional view at right angles to Fig. 1. Fig. 5 through these also the rods F F pass. is a horizontal sectional view taken through In order to provide corners for the more 35 the line i; v of Fig. 1; and Fig. 6 is a side ready travel of the hood, (to be described,) I view of the top of the kiln, showing the gage locate at each corner of the extension a corbars, and in dotted lines their position when ner-plate F F connected by tie-rods F F, raised. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the as shown in Fig. 8, that serve also asa spacing-bars. Fig. 8 is a section on line to w means for binding the structure firmly to- 0 of Fig. 1. Fig. 9 is a sectional perspective gether. At the lower end of the extension is view of the inside of the shaft, showing the located a hood or sleeve G, capable of slidingv apertures (1 below the feeding-apertures. up and down thereon when required, and of Similar letters of reference in the several such a height relative to the dlstance befigures indicate the same parts. tween the bottom of the trunk and the ground 45 As is usual in the class of kilns to which as to extendto the top of the car on which the my present invention belongs, the furnaces bricks are supported when down. Any suitor combustion-chambers for the fuel are 10- able means may be provided for raising and cated some distance above the lower extenlowering this hood when desired. Y sion of the kiln from which the burned brick On either side the lower end of the trunk 50' are withdrawn, and below the point where are provided beams or girdersH, (which may [00 assistin sustaining the extension,) upon which rest the ends of beams or bars H, adapted to be projected from one side beneath the column of bricks to support the same for a time when a charge is being removed; but as the particular construction and arrangement of these bars forms no part of my present invention no further explanation is necessary, they being known in the art. Just beneath this extension is located ahydraulic cylinder I, in which operates a piston I, connected to a suitable platen I thepiston being adapted to be raised and lowered by the forcing in or exit ofliquid from the said cylinder.

Track-rails j are provided at the sides of the platen, extending out into the yard or place of storing burned bricks, A car M is arranged to run upon this track, its upper side being provided with bars or projections M, and with a groove m near the edge adapted to be filled with sand or similar material to receive the lower edge of the hood G when moved down, said sand forming a seal and preventing access of air to the kiln during the burning. When the car is in position, so that the hood registers with the groove, it will also be directly over the platen, and when the latter is raised the car will be carried up with it. Across the outer walls of the kiln are located girders L, upon which the cupola and furnace section of the kiln is built, and to which the lower extension of the kiln is secured as described.

The bottom portion of the kiln is housed in, so that there will be no direct access of air to the interior of the kiln while the hood G is raised to permit theinsertion of the bars by which the weight of the column of brick is sustained, as such air might chill the kiln and render the brick worthless.

The furnace and cupola section of the kiln is built directly over the base upon the girders L, on which it rests, as explained.

The furnaces B, preferably four in number, arranged in pairs on diametrically-opposite sides of the central chamber or shaft of 7 the kiln, are preferably lined with, fire-brick or other refractory material, (as is also the rest of the shaft,) and are wedge-shaped in horizontal section with the wider portions projecting toward the shaft. These rear ends are provided with suitable partitions or abutments Z of fire-brick, forming channels Z, through which the products enter the kiln, pass up through the bricks, and thoroughly burn them.

Heretofore objection has been made to kilns having furnaces located on two sides only by reason of the insufficient burning of the bricks at the sides where there are no furnaces, and to obviate this I provide a channel or passage 41, extending from the outer side of each furnace, and entering the shaft again near the center. WVhere these passages enter the kiln they are separated from each other by a partition n of about the thickness of one brick, and in order that the products and gases may not pass from one furnace to the other, and. further to provide for the passage of said products to the center of the kiln, where they are permitted to rise up through the superposed column of brick, in laying the brick to charge the kiln I lay one course directly through the center, so that it will come in line with the partition 71, and provide two channels 01 in every charge placed in the kiln that will register with passages 72 and receive the products, conducting them to the center, where an abutment in the shape of a brick is placed to impede further inward progress and permit their rising upward through the brick. These side and end channels are of importance in burning brick evenly, and particularly so in connection with the channels formed in the courses. The furnaces are provided with the ordinary grates, fuel-door, and ash-pit; but as these form no partof my invention, no further description is necessary. A platform is constructed just below the level of the furnace Y proper, in which the bricks are burned, while in the portion below the cooling of them is alone accomplished. A series of vertical channels or passages P P P P, communicating wit-h each other by transverse openings, is provided around this cupola, their lower ends being open to the air at p. The shaft portion proper, which is composed of fire-brick, is sheathed with metal, so that cold air entering through openings 19 will not chill the outside, and more particularly so that, should the interior bricks become cracked or porous, the air cannot enter the kiln and in any way injuriously affect the contents.

The upper ends of passages P P at the front and rear (or furnace) sides open into the shaft through passages q q below the doors Q Q,

through which the kiln is charged, and these openings into the shaft may be either broad ones extending the width of the latter, or a series of small perforations; but the single broad ones are preferred. The object of these chambers and openings is to provide for heating air by contact with the heated cupola and discharging it at or just below the mouth or charging place of the kiln, so that a sheet of warm air passing up to the chimney above will be formed in front of said openings of the cupola, whereby ingress of cold air will be prevented when the feeding-doors are opened, which otherwise meeting the vapor coming from the bricks being dried would condense the same and deposit moisture on the bricks being inserted, which would be perhaps a serious objection; and, further, by this means the steam or vapor is prevented from passing outward and incommoding the workmen placing the new charge in position, as it would do were no such air-currents as described created.

As is the case with all kilns constructed on this general plan, the green bricks are inserted from the top, and in the present construction the kiln is charged through two openings at opposite sides, which are adapted to be closed normally by vertically-sliding doors. In the center of the kiln, between these openings, is located a partition-plate R, quite thinsay one-quarter of an inch in thickness-arranged to slidein suitable guides R R, located in the sides of the kiln andto be raised and lowered from above by the rotation of a shaft R upon which is wound a chain or, chains connected with said plate. The object of this plate is to divide the upper portion of the shaft into two parts, and afford an abutment against which the workmen setting the bricks from opposite sides can place them accurately without encroaching on each others territory and laying them unevenly. This provision of filling from both sides simultaneously is advantageous in that it necessitates the workmen reaching but a short distance into the kiln, and the plate, in connection with other devices hereinafter described, insures the accurate setting of the brick for the purposes of operating the kiln as intended.

As before stated, the column of brick in the kiln is supported While the lowest charge is being removed by a series of bars passed through the column just above this charge, and of course it is necessary that some convenient manner of accuratelypositioning the brick to cause the apertures to always register with the bars is desirable, and the following devices have been found to answer this purpose well. On each side of the openings closed by doors Q are provided ways in which suitable bars S are arranged to slide vertically when desired, and each pair of these bars is connected by a cross-bar S at such a distance from the lower ends relative the support or stop that limits their downward movement that it will be held above the floor or bottom of the charging-openings a distance equal to the height of a single charge for the kiln-in the present instance about four feet. The upper side of each of the bars S is provided with corresponding recesses s, the distance between said recesses corresponding to the distance between the bars H below, and forming-bars T, consisting of two bars of the dimensions of the apertures to be formed and connected at one end, are arranged in the recesses s of bars S, when the top course of brick is being laid, so that the latter can be laid up close around the bars, and when they are withdrawn the recesses will also serve as cross-passages for products and also for the purpose mention ed. Of course as soon as two a and so on.

to accurately fit the separating-plate B, so that when the bars are put in above the plate and pushed down with the plate in the slot no lateral or twisting movement is possible.

The chimney D extends a considerable distance above the supply-orifices for the main tenance of a good draft, and a short distance above the latter is located a damper D, operated by suitable means--such, as a handle cZ-and adapted when turned to close the chimney and regulate or check the draft through the kiln, this feature being valuable in connection with the sleeve or hood below, as will be explained.

On the sides of the kiln between the feeding-apertures are located two drying-ovens V V, having track-rails on their bottoms, between which are apertures through which the heated air passing from the side air-chambers P P enters said chambers, while at the top are channels P P conveying said heated air into the chimney above the damper preferably. These ovens are adapted for the reception of brick that may arrive at the top of the kiln too green or wet to be burned, the cars on which they are contained being run into these ovens, the doors closed, and the bricks subjected to the hot air until sufficiently dry, when they are placed in the kiln and burned in the ordinary manner.

It will be understood that there is a suitable platform at the feeding end for the green bricks and the workmen, which may or may not be covered, though I prefer to do this, and also that there is a suitable elevator for conveyingthe brick to the uppermost platform, andthat the lower part of the kiln is housed, so that it can be closed upand the access of cold air out off when the kiln is opened to remove a charge.

The operation will now be readily understood. Assuming that the kiln is full of bricks, those between bars H and the lower portion of the furnace-section having been burned and cooled in proportion to the distance from the latter and those between the furnace and the feeding-apertures in all stages of burning, from very green at the top to hard-burned opposite the furnace, the ram is in lowered position with the car upon it, the hood down in the sand-groove or other suitable packing making a tight joint, the column of bricks supported upon the ribson the car, the charge last put in at the aperture at the top of the kiln is still up to the level of bars S S when in position, the doors Q Q closed, and the furnaces in operation burning the brick, the operator, wishing to withdraw the charge at the bottom, raises the hood G, at the same time signaling the workman at the feeding end of the kiln to close damper D and cut off the draft, or suitable devices connecting the hood and damper might be employed for operating them simultaneously. The ram is then slightly raised, so as to bringthe apertures between the sections in line with the bars H, which arethen run in by any mechanical means-- such as a ram or a rack and pinionuntil they emerge from the opposite side and rest upon suit-able supports provided for them, as described. As soon as this is accomplished, the ram is allowed to descend by opening the discharge from the cylinder, and the car with one charge of bricks is carried down until it rests upon the rails and then is run off to discharge its load, the column being meantime supported upon the bars H H. An empty car is now run over the ram-platen and the latter raised until the lower course of bricks rests upon the ribs m betweenbars H. Then a greater pressure is applied to the piston to cause it to raise the column and relieve bars H, after which the latter are withdrawn, the hood placed down on the car, and the ram and column allowed to descend until the car rests upon the ground-rails and the upper side of the highest charge is about on a level with the bottom of the feeding-apertures. When the hood is down in the packing, of course the damper D can be opened, permitting the continuation of the burning, the only cessation being While the charge is being withdrawn and the hood raised. The operators at the top of the kiln now open doors Q Q and pile in the bricks to form another charge, arranging the bottom course to preserve the passage at the sides for the products, as described, and also manipulating the plate R.

The top course is correctly placed by means of the notched gage-bars S S, and the forming-bars T are used to form the transverse apertures, after which bars S S are slid up out of the way, as shown in Fig. 6, until the next top course is to be laid, the doors'Q Q closed, and the burning of this charge accomplished in the same manner as'before.

With a kiln of about the proportions shown I propose to draw a charge about'once an hour, the space between the furnace and feeding-aperture being sufficient to accommodate about twenty-four charges, and as'each charge or car-load contains about fifteen hundred bricks, I am enabled to produce approximately thirty-six thousand well-b urned bricks every twenty-four hours, and the particular feature of this construction is that all the brickswill be burned precisely the same, providing, of course, the furnaces be kept running at the same heat, which is a matter easily regulated by a skilled operator.

There are many other advantages incident to the construction of the furnacesuch as accuracy in setting, facility in drying brick too green to burn well, and in the prevention of the spoiling of the green brick at the top by so-called water smoke, and others that will readily occur to those skilled in the art.

A particular advantage to be noted in this class of kilns is that the bricks are put into the kiln at a distance from the furnace, and are gradually dried out and then burned by being subjected to a gradually -increasing heat, which effectually prevents cracking and renders them more homogeneous than when they are subjected to the action of a fierce heat as soon as they are placed in the kiln.

I do not desire to be confined to the exact details of construction of the kilns herein described, except in so far as limited by the terms of the claims, as numerous modifications might be made to accomplish the same results without departing from the spirit of my invention.

It should be noted that the passages in the column of brick that lead to the center and the position of the furnace-openings and the movement of the column are so arranged relatively that when the column is in a state of rest the openings will register, as will be readily understood.

I claim as my invention 1. In a brick-kiln of the character described, the combination, with the cupola and the girders supporting the same, of the downwardlyextending portion, and the tie-rods extending through the same and connected to the girders for supporting the extension, substantially as described.

2. In abrick-kiln of the character described, the combination, with the cupola and girders, of the lower depending extension of the cupola, formed of brick, with the interposed and bottom plates, and the tie-rods uniting the plates and connected to the girders for supporting the depending extension, substantially as described.

3. In a brick-kiln of the kind described, the combination, with the furnace and cupola, of the lower extension formed of brick, theprotecting corner-plates, and the hood arranged,

to slide over said extension, substantially as described.

4. In a brick-kiln of the kind described, the combination, with the furnace and cupola, of the lower extension constructed of brick, the corner-plates and bolts or rods connecting them, and the hood arranged to slide over said extension, substantially as described.

5. In a brick-kiln of the character described, the combination, with the feeding-aperture, of a hot-air passage opening into the kiln below or at one side of the feeding-aperture and a discharge-opening above or at the opposite side of the same, whereby warm air is'caused to pass in front of the said feeding-aperture and prevent contact of cold air with the vapor from the bricks in the center of the kiln,substantially as described.

6. In a brick-kiln of the character described,

proximity thereto, heated by the air from the chambers at the side of the cupola, substantially as described.

8. The combination, with the cupola having the protecting-covering, of the air chamber or chambers at the sides, substantially as described.

9. The combination, with the furnace, the cupola, the hot-air chamber at the sides of the latter open to the air, and the feeding-apertures for the kiln,of the drying-chambers located in proximity and heated by air fromsaid hot-air chambers and the openings from the hot-air chambers into the cupola below the feeding-apertures, substantially as described.

10. Ina vertical kiln, the combination, of the furnaces having the broad inner ends opening into the shaft and the side passages extending to one side and discharging into the shaft at an angle to the direct passages, substantially as described.

11. In a vertical kiln, the combination, with the four furnaces having the broad 'inner ends discharging into the shaft and arranged 'in pairs on each side thereof, of the side passages extending around from the outside of each furnace and entering the shaft in pairs at near the center of the sides, substantially as described.

12. In a brick-kiln, the combination of the Witnesses:

FRED F. CHURCH, GEO. B. SELDEN. 

